Fruitlets in Central Virginia are growing fast, and I suspect that most growers will be putting on their 10 mm thinning sprays over the next 7 days. In the Winchester area, we’re just at petal fall, so I will start running the MaluSim model next week.
For Central Virginia, using Intellicast forecasts, the MaluSim model is predicting a slight carbohydrate deficit through the early part of next week. Growers should expect a normal to slightly aggressive response from their chemical thinners that are applied today through Monday. I’ll run another model on Tuesday to assess the impact of thinner applied in the middle to end of next week.
Table 1. Fruit phenology at Silver Creek Orchard.
| 1-Apr | 28-Apr | 30-Apr | 2-May | |
| Empire | Silvertip | Petal Fall | 5.6 mm | 7.3 mm |
| Red Delicious | 5.7 mm | 6.5 mm | ||
| Pink Lady | 5.4 mm | 7.5 mm | ||
| Gala | 5.4 mm | 6.4 mm | ||
| Fuji | 4.4 mm | 5.8 mm | ||
Download the full report <Peck Central VA MaluSim 5_2_14>.